I'm glad that I have never been put into a position where I have had to rank the Coen brothers's (No Country for Old Men, True Grit, The Big Lebowski, Fargo) films because that would be really hard. However if I was forced into doing this, it is very likely that Hail, Caesar! would sit close to the top. The creativity of this film is where the Coen brothers strike gold. Every one of their films is different with a common thread of comic relief throughout most of them. Unlike previous works, the Coen brothers take a period piece and turn it upside-down.
The casting for the film finds past actors from the Coen brothers's previous filmography. Josh Brolin (Sicario) returns from No Country for Old Men and George Clooney (Gravity, Up in the Air, The Descendants) returns from O Brother, Where Art Thou? Brolin leads the all-star cast as a Hollywood studio problem-solver. It sounds weird, but that is probably the best way to describe the character. As Eddie Mannix, Josh Brolin travels around multiple sets in Hollywood, solving problems ranging from a scandalous actress, played by Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, The Avengers), to a missing movie-star played by George Clooney.
The comedic aspects create a flow for the film that made me wanting more after the first watch-through. The best part about the Coen brothers is their witty script-writing. While No Country for Old Men was a fantastic movie worth a lot of praise as one of their greatest films, it was missing the amazing wit of the talented filmmakers. They are capable of keeping me entertained during the continuous repetition of a western movie star struggling to say the lines and act for a classic film director. This is just one of the many small gags throughout the film that keep the camera rolling. Of course, the film is a beautiful piece of visual art as well. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to choreograph most of the scenes, considering there are musical numbers and even synchronized swimming scenes. Once again, the Coen brothers created a masterpiece.
The Bottom Line: As expected, the Coen brothers create another fun piece of art for audiences to chuckle about.
Score: 9.4/10
The casting for the film finds past actors from the Coen brothers's previous filmography. Josh Brolin (Sicario) returns from No Country for Old Men and George Clooney (Gravity, Up in the Air, The Descendants) returns from O Brother, Where Art Thou? Brolin leads the all-star cast as a Hollywood studio problem-solver. It sounds weird, but that is probably the best way to describe the character. As Eddie Mannix, Josh Brolin travels around multiple sets in Hollywood, solving problems ranging from a scandalous actress, played by Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, The Avengers), to a missing movie-star played by George Clooney.
The comedic aspects create a flow for the film that made me wanting more after the first watch-through. The best part about the Coen brothers is their witty script-writing. While No Country for Old Men was a fantastic movie worth a lot of praise as one of their greatest films, it was missing the amazing wit of the talented filmmakers. They are capable of keeping me entertained during the continuous repetition of a western movie star struggling to say the lines and act for a classic film director. This is just one of the many small gags throughout the film that keep the camera rolling. Of course, the film is a beautiful piece of visual art as well. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to choreograph most of the scenes, considering there are musical numbers and even synchronized swimming scenes. Once again, the Coen brothers created a masterpiece.
The Bottom Line: As expected, the Coen brothers create another fun piece of art for audiences to chuckle about.
Score: 9.4/10
Image credit: By Rayukk - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46780191
